UK shipment of PPE from Turkey ‘useless’ – reports
400,000 gowns/PPE ordered by the UK Government from Turkey are ‘useless’ and fall short of UK standards, according to newspaper reports.
The much-heralded shipment, spoken about regularly in government press briefings, was picked up by the RAF on a specially chartered flight last month. Its arrival was delayed after it emerged the government forgot to check whether the supplier had an export licence. Now the Daily Mail and other UK newspapers report much of the 84 tonne shipment is laying abandoned in a warehouse after health and safety inspectors branded the gowns as ‘useless’.
The chairman of a body that represents NHS procurement managers is demanding to know why adequate checks were not carried out. Mark Roscrow of the Health Care Supplies Association told the Telegraph: “It’s not clear to me why we weren’t able to obtain samples in the usual way, and to see that these gowns weren’t fit for purpose.
“We are being told that the people in charge know how to secure this vital equipment on our behalf, but the checks and balances clearly haven’t been applied correctly. This equipment is still desperately needed at the front line, especially as hospitals begin to reopen other services which also require high quality PPE.”
Conflict International is leading the way by offering authenticity checks on potential suppliers of PPE, ventilators and COVID-19 testing kits.
We have dedicated teams based worldwide who can provide a variety of services to give you peace of mind that your equipment is genuine, including due diligence, site visits and certificate verification. Many procurement managers around the world have sadly become victims of ordering vital equipment to combat COVID-19, only to find it is ineffective once the order has arrived. Our authenticity investigations can avoid that happening.
Throughout this COVID-19 outbreak we are able to offer many of our services at a reduced rate as we are committed to helping you stay safe and secure.
Please get in touch if we can help you on +44 (0)20 7917 2939 or email us in the strictest confidence [email protected].
